Apple Inc. (AAPL) Lines Up Big Brands For Advertising On iTunes Radio

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s iAd network is expanding to take on some additional responsibilities associated with the iTunes Radio service. Ad Age reports that the company has gone on a hiring spree to scale its iAd team and that major brand names have already signed up to advertise on the ad-supported music service.

Apple posts iAd jobs

The publication reports that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) posted five iAd jobs to its own job board and added 35 more listings on LinkedIn, just during the month of August. That was as of last Friday. The openings cover everything from account coordinators to project managers, engineers and ad design managers.

The company also seems to be seeking advertising executives to help brand names create better ads to use on the network. According to Ad Age, former ad industry recruiter Linda Waste, who is now a senior recruiting manager at Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), is leading the expansion of iAd.

Big brands sign to advertise with Apple

The publication also says that some major names have already signed up to advertise on the new iTunes Radio Service, including McDonald’s, Pepsi, Procter & Gamble, and Nissan. These major brands are said to have paid $10 million or more “to be exclusive iTunes Radio advertisers within their respective industries through the end of this year.”

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is reportedly preparing its iTunes Radio service for a wider launch in the beginning of next year. The publication said the service will go live this month some time, possibly along with the Sept. 10 media event, which is expected to reveal the new iPhone.

iTunes Radio is expected to have ads from the iAd platform every 15 minutes as well as a video ad each hour at a time when users are more likely to be looking at their devices. Users who decide to pay $24.99 for the iTunes Match service will be able to listen to it ad-free.